Solanki Dynasty

The regions comprising the present day Gujarat was ruled by the Solanki dynasty during the period extending from 10th century to the 13th century AD. This was the last Hindu dynasty to rule the north western regions. This dynasty was established by Mulraja I in 942. He was the adopted son of Samantsinh, the last ruler of the Chavada dynasty whose members were the previous rulers of the region.

Mulraja I further extended the kingdom by bringing the regions of Saurashtra and Kutch under his sway. His capital was the present day town of Patan. He was succeeded by other illustrious rulers, notable among were Sidhrag Jayasinh and Kumarpala, who further extended the kingdom.

The period under Solanki reign is considered as the most glorious in the history of Gujarat. The present name Gujarat was adopted during this period. The period saw tremendous development in architecture, language and scripts. Numerous artistic temples were built, famous among them being the Rudramala Temple and the Sun Temple at Somnath. Jainism also made inroads in the kingdom during the Solanki rule.

The Solanki rule saw a decline during the 13th century following the annexation of the Gujarat region by various Muslim rulers. The most famous plunder was that of the Somnath Sun temple by Mahmud Ghazni, a Turkish ruler from Afghanistan. Following the fall of the Solanki dynasty some parts of Gujarat was ruled by the Vaghela Dynasty, whose rule persisted only for 76 years.